


"Here's Why The Arwing Failed."

by ntd_fx1



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: News Media, Space Dynamics, arwing, editorial, in-universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:34:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ntd_fx1/pseuds/ntd_fx1
Summary: excerpt from lylat defense dailyshort in-universe star fox newspaper article, themed around space dynamics and the defense industry in lylat.





	"Here's Why The Arwing Failed."

**Written by Lara Shepherd**

**Originally published in _Lylat Defense Daily_**

* * *

 

It’s something we’ve all asked. What the hell was Corneria thinking, not adopting Space Dynamics’ darling? What horrors could we have avoided if our military was better-prepared for Venom? What kind of incompetent leadership passes up the most advanced fighter design of our time for more 2Xs? Here’s the answer – one that knows what it’s doing.

I know, I know. Just take your hands off the keyboard and don’t scroll to the comments, okay? Okay. I’m not saying the Arwing isn’t one of the finest starfighters around. If it wasn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this. The Arwing saved Lylat just as much as McCloud or Pepper. But there’s a reason it sold seven out of the 70,000 projected units.

The above image is taken straight from a Space Dynamics demonstration video. And it encompasses everything wrong with how the Arwing was designed. Look at the central display. See how it says “BIOS CHECK”? That’s a message from the Arwing’s Biosphere Habitability/Operability Sub-System (known by its more entertaining acronym, BHOSS), one of the many, many, many, bleeding-edge technologies included in the Arwing.

You might not see anything wrong with it at first. Granted, not even Space Dynamics did. But this kind of thinking is exactly why Corneria didn’t buy it.

“BIOS CHECK” stands for “biosphere check in progress”. Every time the Arwing lands, BHOSS polls sensors all around the fighter to make sure a pilot can safely exit. In just 20 seconds, the Arwing’s computer checks and cross-checks background radiation, exterior oxygen, gravity, and thousands of other variables before unlocking the cockpit. It’s absolutely amazing – and it sucks.

What kind of military force needs a biosphere check for each _individual_ pilot? If a squadron is going to land on the ground, it’s more than likely that central command’s already determined that it’s safe to do so. All the necessary calculations would be done on the mothership, not individual fighters. A mainline military starfighter would be nowhere without a carrier close by – exceptions to this are considered missing-in-action, not standard procedure.

It’s this kind of thinking that grounded the mass-produced Arwing. Marrying civilian design with military-grade hardware sounds like the technological revolution that the Star Navy and Defense Force need, but that’s just it – it _sounds_ the part. Systems like BHOSS are pricy and complex, dumping thousands of credits on top of already expensive technology, and requiring repair teams to worry about even more fragile components.

No one could have predicted the Lylat Wars. No one could have predicted how quickly Andross could mobilize the forces he had, nor the horrible fortress he would make Venom. If we had, we would’ve made insanely different decisions. We would’ve given the Arwing – and all the other beautifully over-engineered designs we passed – all the chances they deserved and more.


End file.
